30 Journal Entries for Self Discovery - Day 27

Hey everyone! Happy last three days of this lovely journey! I'm honestly excited and so sad. However, I hope you're all having fun and excited for today! Here's the quote of the day: "You're a writer. Claim the title. Writers write, so make time for it every day. Set realistic goals. Embrace the ecstasy of writing. Read, read, read, read, read, read, read. Follow your heart, not the market. Don't just start stories, finish them. Dream big. Learn the rules. Follow the rules. Break the rules. Constructive criticism: solicit, accept, manage. Put your ego in your back pocket and sit on it. Writing is a journey, not a destination, enjoy the scenery. Give back to the writing community. Write scared. Remember that you are the master of inspiration, not its slave. Set your stories free, send them into the world. Don't slack on the hard stuff: outline, research, rewrite. Build a lifestyle that nurtures and supports your writing. Love what you do, write with joy." - A Wordplayer's Manifesto

Day twenty-seven: Make a list of 15 things that make you smile.

1. Seeing my daughter happy. This is obvious. I love seeing my daughter laugh and play and just be happy. It's super rewarding.
2. My sisters. Somehow, no matter what, when I'm with my sisters I always smile. They are fun and ridiculous in the best way. They always find a way to make me smile.
3. Dogs. I love dogs. Big and small. I love seeing the happy faces and the tail wags and just the happiness that radiates from them.
4. Talking with my dad. My dad and I have the best conversations. Most of the time. We have our off days, but mostly, conversations with my dad are brilliant.
5. My friends. No matter what mood I'm in, I have a handful of friends that know exactly how to make me smile. They keep me positive.
6. Walks with Mary. My friend Mary and I take her dogs on a walk pretty often. We walk for a few miles and talk and it always brightens up my day. It's fun and relaxing.
7. Chocolate. Chocolate always makes me smile. I can be dying of stomach cramps but if you put a slice of Portillo's chocolate cake in front of my face, I'm not turning it down.
8. Reading. I love reading, It's so calm and puts me in the best mood. I can be reading the saddest book ever but it makes me smile because for a second, I'm in a different world.
9. Music. I live for music. I named my daughter after a Styx song. I love everything from The Beatles to Juice WRLD. Music forever makes me smile.
10. Running. I get the runner's high. I understand it. It's empowering.
11. Finishing things. I love completing something I've been working on or I know I need to finish. It's rewarding.
12. Getting tagged in things. I know this is shallow and probably shouldn't make me smile, but it does. It makes me smile to think that someone saw something and thought of me.
13. Primping. This kinda depends on the timing but if I have the time, I love to primp. I usually don't go out in public after, but I like it.
14. Dancing. I, again, don't do this in public, but I love to dance. My daughter and I dance together all the time.
15. Working. This sounds weird but I like having a purpose. When my daughter is at school I don't have much of a purpose. Work makes me smile. Until I realize how long I actually have to be there.

My thoughts: I think this was a good question, but I would go with a longer list. I had to think to answer this question but not until I was closer to the end of my list. I believe this is a good self-discovery question, but I think it should be more around 30 things that make you smile instead.